Record Store Performances for Local Shakedown Vol. 3

Despite the fact that a record store is not typically designed to comfortably handle a live performance and the crowd that comes along with such an event, I love a record store performances. Recorded music and live music are different worlds, in a common universe of course, but I dig it.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow three great local record stores host performances from some great local bands to celebrate the release of Radio 1190's Local Shakedown Compilation Volume 3 out yesterday on Smooch Records. My review of the cd can be found on The Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Details of the record and its release can be found at the Radio 1190 website.

RELEASE PARTIES! WITH LIVE MUSIC!

The Local Shakedown Vol. 3 CD was kindly co-released by your favorite local record stores: Twist and Shout, Wax Trax and Bart's CD Cellar. To celebrate its release there will be live music at each store the weekend of October 16th. The double CD will be for sale at each location for $11.90.

Friday, Oct. 16th
Twist and Shout
2508 E. Colfax Ave., Denver
6:00 PM - The Kissing Party

Saturday, Oct. 17th
Bart's CD Cellar
1015 Pearl St., Boulder
2:00 PM - Thee Goochi Boiz, otem rellik, Aënka

Sunday, Oct. 18th
Wax Trax
638 E. 13th Ave., Denver
2:00 PM - Bad Weather California, Magic Cyclops, The Fire Drills, The GetDown!

dpums 2008: a couple lists

Too tired to write in sentences. Mostly. So, lists:

Who I managed to see at least some, and in some cases, all of:

American Relay. Reverend Deadeye. Bad Weather California. Overcasters. Bad Luck City. Orangu-tones. Rachel Pollard. Jason Cain. Aaron Collins. Ellison Park, George Inai, Blue Light. Joseph Pope III. Andy Tanner. Married in Berdichev. Andrea Ball, Jen Korte, Jack Redell. Cowboy Curse. Hearts of Palm. Bela Karoli. Hot IQs. Porlolo. And a few others bits here and there walking up and down Broadway. I didn't get to listen to everything I wanted to hear, but I listened to all I was able.


Some of the worst parts:

People talking louder than Porlolo’s set in the Skylark,
then the jukebox starting up.
Sketchy sound systems.
House music playing at Blue Ice during Cowboy Curse,
and American idol on a wide screen TV.
Trying to see two bands at once.
Not trying to see two bands at once.
Leaving in the middle of a set.
Just missing someone you really wanted to see.
Griping about this stuff.
Blisters on feet.
Being hungry and thirsty.
The hot hot sun.
Sitting on the itchy grass.
Forgetting to bring earplugs for the kids.
Being overwhelmed and overtired.
Sweaty and over-packed Hi-Dive.

Some of the best parts:

I hate being packed in, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the show.
Friday night, appreciating what a great club the 3 Kings Tavern is.
The Overcasters and Bad Luck City back to back.
Not being able to stop smiling.
All those fabulous all-ages venues.
Being able to bring my kids Saturday.
My kids thanking me (so much) for taking them.
The people who stopped chatting and started listening to Porlolo.
Roger Green learning a Porlolo song on the stage,
and it still sounding amazing.
Cowboy Curse playing a great set in spite of the club.
Listening.
My daughter napping on a stack of carpets
Mellow singer/songwriter round sets.
Volunteering. Really.
Just the right-sized outdoor stage.
Nathaniel Rateliff pushing his gear around in a K-mart shopping cart.
Cold drinks.
Aaron Collins child-like-playful solo performance in Rock the Cradle.
Marching my children into the Skylark to hear Porlolo
and nobody stopping us.
Inviting people who don’t usually come out to the shows
and seeing them there.
So many creative and diversely talented folks doing their stuff.
Feeding my kids those yummy Sputnik french fries
one order sweet, one order white.)
Feeling the genuine and impossible-to-fabricate good-will vibe.
All the cool stuff I actually caught.
Realizing some festivals are not so bad.
And all this in Denver.

show review: Porlolo cd Release!

Porlolo CD release party with: Bad Weather California, Wentworth Kersey, Sorellina and the dancing Team Firefox.
Friday 18 July 2008, Hi-Dive, Denver

by Linda Ruth Carter

Cd release shows are always hold a little more excitement than any other. It’s kind of like a birthday celebration. (New songs are born and here’s this shiny document to prove it.) Friday at the Hi-Dive was definitely a celebration of Porlolo’s second full length release, Meadows.

This show was fun. If you read no further, just know that much is true. I’ve not kept it a secret that Porlolo is one of my all-time favorites, inside or outside of Denver, and I’ve been looking forward to the release of this cd for the past year or so, ever since I started hearing the first versions of the songs on it being performed. And Friday I got to be there.

As the rainbow unicorn cake on the merchandise table read: Porlolo believes in you. And from the people spilling in the door of the Hi-Dive, lots of people believe in Porlolo too. Present were not only the usual crowd of Hi-Dive regulars, but people who’d made a four hour drive from Gunnison just to be there.

Opening the evening was Sorellina, who is the Anna half of the duo cellists of Matson Jones. Though I couldn’t make out a great deal of the lyrics, I’d characterize Sorellina’s songs as being of the feminine singer-songwriter sort. Even the buzzy and a little too bright sound of a cello turned up loud at the Hi-Dive couldn’t hide that this girl has a lovely voice, and can play that cello to pieces. I’d like to hear her in a place where the sound is more conducive to what she is doing, but I was glad for the introduction.

Next up was the eight member dance troupe known as Team Firefox. Donning spandex, leg warmers, and glow sticks as necklaces, bracelets and anklets, Team Firefox danced a coordinated choreographed number to “Never Let Me Down” by Depeche Mode. The stage was too small for this performance so they used the whole floor from the half-wall back to the wall and from the stage almost back to the little stage in the rear. It was fun to watch, though I had to stand on a chair to see. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in the Hi-Dive. I mean, they were really dancing. But they had the crowd watching, smiling, clapping, and perhaps trying to remember some of those dance moves too.

With smiles on faces from the cheerful dancing, next came the debut of Wentworth Kersey. I was one of the fortunate early kids to get a copy of their disc along with my new Porlolo (and a copy of Roger Green’s newest too.) Pretty awesome.

If Wentworth Kersey sounds oddly familiar for a debut band, it should. This is the musical project of Joe Kersey Sampson (A Dog Paloma) and Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens (George and Caplin) and if you like either or both of these people’s prior musical releases, you will likely dig this new collaborative set of songs. I did. After a couple songs Wentworth Kersey retired from the stage and joined the crowd to listen to featured band of the evening.

Porlolo said they chose to go on before Bad Weather California so they could sit back afterwards and enjoy hearing their friends play. Having heard a few of the pre-released songs off Meadows already, people were already calling out requests, many of them for “Animals” an extraordinarily catchy poppy sounding song sung with the saddest most tear-jerking lyrics, simultaneously hitting your emotions in two places at once. It’s fabulous.

No two times I can recall have I seen the exact same set of musicians accompanying Erin Roberts, though I believe I’ve seen her solo more than once. The cast of supporting players have many amazing repeat performers and whomever of her friends that accompany, I’ve always heard an enjoyable set. Whatever the line-up, the songs always seem to sound just right. On this night, accompanying Erin were: the overall-wearing guitar-sorcerer Roger Green; the ever consistent and copacetic drummer, Xandy Whitesel; the lovely and heart-stirring stringed sounds of Bela Karoli: Julie Davis on upright bass and Carrie Beeder on violin; and the talented songstress Kate Magnus (Placerville) on guitar, electric bass, and a hand-held keyboard. They played a few songs from Storm and Season, but mostly performed a nice long set of songs from Meadows. Song after song, the listeners smiled and cheered. Did I already say it was fun? I’m writing these words two days later and I’m still smiling thinking about it all.

Bad Weather California took the stage to send off the night. Chris Adolf is another Denver songwriter that has been known to take the stage either solo or with a different arrangement of musicians from show to show, but for some time now he’s had the stable line-up of Xandy Whitesel, Joe Sampson and Adam Baumeister making Bad Weather California an identifiable group. But things haven’t gotten stuck in any rut. Indeed there is always a vibe of unpredictability with a Bad Weather California performance. Lyrics are elastic and verses change from show to show, like the songs have a life of their own and have to be wrangled somehow to get them out in the air. But the chorus is familiar enough that the crowd is often chanting along in communal song. That might sound corny if you haven’t been there, but it is pure fun. Believe it.

show review: Hearts of Palm, Velella Velella and Bad Weather California

I really wanted to make it to this show, but I was tired. Inertia and anxiety pulled and threatened to keep me home and put me to an early bed as they have many times before. But I fought it. I have more "favourite" bands than I can count on my fingers but two who have never failed to affirm my faith in the magic of music were playing together yesterday, Friday the 2nd of May 2008.



I was tired as everybody else these days, but I am glad I made it to this show.

Never knowing when a show is actually going to start at the hi-dive, and knowing Bad Weather California was coming on first, I aimed for a conservative 9:00 arrival and relieved to find I hadn't missed a note. I had time to chat with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, and then awkwardly stand around waiting for the music to begin. When Chris, Joe, Adam and Xandy took the stage, I was ready to listen, and anxious to hear how they'd play the songs this time. Every time I've heard "My Brave Friend" or "I'm Not the Poet" or any of them songs that don't have a set name, they reach my ears sounding somewhere between a little and a lot different. It makes me think of those great chefs who don't follow a recipe but make what is structurally the same dish using what's in season, never failing to come up with a slightly different but consistently spectacular dish just right for that moment. And it always is good. You always leave the table grateful for such fine sustenance. These are some of my consistently favourite sustaining things about a Bad Weather California show: songs that you never know the name of, but still always know how to sing along with; genuine playfulness; instruments I never see other people use but still sound like the song was meant for it; fierce sincerity; adding and changing lyrics on the fly; optimism in the face of it all. But mostly I love those smiles they deliver that are surely leaving cracks on our faces.

I had never heard Velella Velella before, who I learned are currently on tour from Seattle, but since they were playing in between Bad Weather California and Hearts of Palm I would soon find out what they sound like. I had a little clue from watching them unpack the full-size xylophone, vintage organs, and electronic things. I suspect someone who's more knowledgeable about such gear that I can at best ignorantly refer to as "electronic things" would be more excited than I was, but it looked interesting. With these previously mentioned things, some hand held percussion, a flute and a Rickenbacker bass, (no guitar) they turned out some danceable sounds. They are an energetic foursome, sometimes reminding me of catchy Michael Jackson riffs and other times kinda falling out of time in a discordant muddle. If you are in a dance club mood and want the feeling of a live performance this band might be just the thing for you to check out.

It was getting late, I was sleepy and wanted to go home, but was determined to hang in there for Hearts of Palm. I wish it was easier than it is to switch to calling them Hearts of Palm instead of Nathan & Stephen, because I respect the inclusion the name change reflects, but I know I still slip up. It was announced that last night was to be Jonathan's last night playing as a regular member of the band. Matthew is reportedly going leave Stephen and Dan to carry all the guitar duties and take up his brother's bass duties for the group. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jonathan sharing the stage with them again, but seems to be a case of only having so much time in the day, and a lot of other good things going on. So the stage will have one less person on it but that still leaves eight people up there, who play remarkably nicely together. In Hearts of Palm, there's a sense of celebration of many people and things, threaded through with strands of sorrowful realisations. Overwhelmed with joy, so much that you have to watch out for elbows of exuberance up near the front of the stage. But I don't mind. I made it to the show! And I left happy that I did.